Jatukaa turned around and glared at the horizon for the umpteenth time in the last hour. It was all that she could do not to stamp her paws on the ground in frustration. She was confused, hurt, disappointed, angry, sad . . . a dozen emotions boiled into one big knot right in her chest. Most of all she felt betrayed, by the people that she never thought would ever do anything to hurt her. They'd promised they would always love her, but . . .
How can they do this to me?! she thought to herself.
I'm their daughter. They can't just throw me out like some carcass! They're supposed to take care of me and make sure I know what to do. Instead, they just tell me that I'm a disappointment and that I need to go off on my own and learn what life is about. Ha!
Her family had told her that they were tired of her antics. They were sending her away. She could just picture her father's face, his stony expression that brooked no argument. Her mother stood behind him, looking at the ground, unable to meet her eyes. She'd always been quiet and meek, obedient to her mate and Kaa's father. His personality had always been rather overbearing, but it was true that he cared about his family and wanted to be sure that they were well taken care of. He was the master of the household though and it did them very well to take note of that and respect it. It had been easier when she was younger, but as she'd grown older, she'd wanted to learn more about herself. Kaa enjoyed being playful. However, her version of playful was apparently not acceptable.
So Kaa was mischievous. Was that such a crime? She liked to play little jokes on people and she liked to have fun. Yeah, there were probably important things that she could have done instead, but she was still young, she had her life in front of her. She wasn't an adult yet and she wanted to enjoy herself. Now, she was all alone and had to completely fend for herself.
This is not going to be fun.
She walked and walked and walked. There seemed to be nowhere in sight where she could rest. Kaa hadn't known that her family's lands were so very reclusive. Yeah, they hadn't gotten many strangers. Now she knew why. Her family did like their privacy and their quiet peace of mind. She'd never truly fit in there.
Kaa cringed as she felt a sharp pain in her paw. Lifting it gingerly, she saw that she'd one of the pads and it was bleeding. She wasn't used to walking this far on the rough terrain. Biting her lip to keep from losing her temper, she continued her progress slowly, limping one step at a time. At least all this walking gave her plenty of time to think.
Her parents had told her to go out and learn things. Well, this did give her the opportunity to explore new ideas and hobbies. Also, she didn't have their disapproving looks anymore.
Her siblings hadn't been any help at all. They didn't understand her any better than her mother and father. Her brother had only wanted to train to become a strong hunter like their father. He spent all of his time practicing and hunting. Her sister was the spitting image of her mother and was constantly telling Kaa to act more ladylike, more like mother. What was wrong with being different? Kaa liked herself the way she was. And now . . .
She could do whatever she wanted, she just had to be sure she survived.
The ground was hot and rocky underneath her feet, caked dirt embedded with small stones. They were sharp and painful on her tender paws. It was going to be a relief to find some shelter or at least some place to sit down for awhile. However, she couldn't do that until she was sure she'd be safe. Jatukaa wasn't used to living like this. She'd always had someone to protect and take care of her. Now she needed to do that for herself.
She walked for hours, her pace slow and careful. She began to sweat under the hot sun and she longed for a drink of water. The long trek gave her ample time to go through the memories of home and try to remember times when she was happy. There were a few, mostly when she'd been younger and so full of potential. She'd let her parents down when she revealed her true nature. But she just longed to be playful. It wasn't a good thing to be in such a serious and conservative family.
A spot of green appeared on the horizon. She almost weeped with joy when she saw the small oasis centered around a small watering hole. There were a few other smaller creatures there, but they fled when they noticed her presence and she ignored them, since she really wasn't all that hungry yet. Besides, it never seemed right attacking an animal when they wanted water. It was fair to give them a fighting chance.
She walked to the edge and took a long drink. The sun was very warm and there was little breeze. It was good to be able to rest. The cool water of the pond soothed her aching paws somewhat and she chose a nearby tree with some shade to curl up under. There was no reason to leave right away. She'd grab some sleep and continue on her path tomorrow.
She hadn't chosen this journey for herself, but she was going to make the best of it. This was her life and she was going to make the decisions for once. She would decide what was best for her now.
Stupid family. What do they know anyway? They gave me the freedom I never knew I wanted until now, she thought with a smile before she rested her head on her paws and drifted off into peaceful oblivion.
